Part of Northport levee cracked, needs repairs

Wednesday

Mar 20, 2013 at 12:01 AM

NORTHPORT | Since 1998, the Northport levee has protected downtown from frequent flooding that plagued the city for generations.

By Lydia Seabol AvantStaff Writer

NORTHPORT | Since 1998, the Northport levee has protected downtown from frequent flooding that plagued the city for generations. Now a portion of the 2 mile-long levee is cracked and needs repair, with the city unsure of how much it will cost.The Northport City Council voted Monday to spend $50,750 on preliminary engineering work.City Administrator Scott Collins said the growing crack was not caused by weather or use, but instead by a flaw in its construction by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. That needs to be fixed now, Collins told the council Monday.“It’s simply a repair that needs to be made,” Collins said.The portion that is cracked is on the northern most 300 feet of the levee, north of Fifth Avenue. Because the portion is the farthest away from the river, where the natural dirt meets the levee, it’s very unlikely that flooding will occur as a result of the flaw. “There is not a breach in the levee,” Collins said. “But it does need repair.”Collins said the crack does not mean there will be any impact on downtown Northport.When the levee was built, the construction cost about $4.8 million, with the federal government paying 80 percent and the city paying 20 percent. Northport city leaders are hopeful the federal government will pay 80 percent of the repair cost now. “It’s their work product. We don’t anticipate any issues at all,” Collins said. The $50,750 for preliminary engineering work constitutes about 20 percent of the total overall engineering cost, Collins said. The expense will have no impact on the city’s 2013 budget since it will be covered by bond issue money set aside for drainage and similar projects. “There will be no out-of-pocket cost to the city,” Collins said.The preliminary engineering work should be finished within six months, followed by the repair.